High density electrical connector for use with rotating head magnetic recording apparatus

Abstract

The connector comprises: a central shaft (7) at the periphery of which linear conductor elements are longitudinally disposed, at least in a zone of contact provided on the shaft; a group (22) of radially disposed resilient conductors having conductive ends bent substantially into conformity with a toroidal surface centred on and facing towards the shaft (7) at a certain level of the zone of contact; resilient toroidal couplings (27,28) centred on the shaft (7) and surrounding said ends; a clamp (22,29) for compressing said couplings radially so as to urge, at the time of said compression of the couplings, the conductive ends radially inwardly into pressure contact with the longitudinal conductor elements of the shaft. This connector forms part of a rotor carrying magnetic heads of apparatus (FIG. 2) for recording on and playing back magnetic tape.

I claim: 
     
       1. A high density electrical connector, comprising: a central member including a shaft at the periphery of which linear conductor elements are longitudinally disposed, at least in a zone of contact provided on the shaft;   a radial member comprising at least a group of radially disposed conductors having conductive ends bent substantially into conformity with a toroidal surface centred on and facing towards the shaft at a certain level of the zone of contact, each end being in a respective radial plane of said toroidal surface also containing a longitudinal conductor and at a certain distance from said longitudinal conductors of the shaft;   a toroidal elastic coupling centred on the shaft at the same level as the zone of contact, at a radial distance from the longitudinal conductors equal or greater than that of said conductive ends, and surrounding said ends; and a device for radially compressing said toroidal coupling so as to urge, at the time of said compression of the coupling, the conductive ends radially inwardly into pressure contact with the longitudinal conductor elements of the shaft.   
     
     
       2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the radial compression device comprises a conical surface clamp. 
     
     
       3. A connector according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment means for ensuring the angular coincidence between the longitudinal conductors and the radial conductor ends. 
     
     
       4. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal conductors are disposed in longitudinal grooves in the shaft. 
     
     
       5. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the radial member comprises two groups of interlaced radial conductors associated with two resilient toroidal couplings. 
     
     
       6. A connector according to claim 1, wherein the radial conductors are made from an alloy of copper and beryllium. 
     
     
       7. Magnetic tape recording and playback apparatus comprising a rotating magnetic head assembly including a rotor incorporating a connector in accordance with claim 1, the shaft of the connector constituting the shaft of the rotor. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 7, further comprising a pair of longitudinally spaced bearings for rotatably supporting the shaft, and wherein the longitudinal conductors are connected to the windings of rotating transformers housed between the bearings. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the radial conductors are formed on a contact disc trapped between two plates of the rotor.